Within the next second, she fell onto the ground dramatically while Blake hurried to help her up but she only pushed him away with a defeated look plastered across her face.
"Don't touch me!" She yelled through gritted teeth, emotions running wild in her eyes. "You lied to me the entire time! You told me that she was faking it, that the baby wasn't yours! How are you going to explain yourself?!" She questioned, her hoarse voice trembling with a mixture of sadness and anger.
Blake immediately crouched down and tried to grab onto her hands, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"Stella… Stella!" Her name left his lips in a harsh tone as he tightly wrapped his fingers around her wrists. "Look at me!" He demanded and she flinched slightly at his tone and unexpectedly loud voice.
He drew in a deep breath and his features softened ever so slightly as they locked gazes.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to get upset and overthink it," he explained, the classic gaslighting he always does so effortlessly while I watched with amusement dancing in my eyes the entire time. I was no longer the girl who would be falling for his meaningless and empty words any longer. "I'm doing this for your own good, you know that right? I don't want to hurt you," he muttered in a soft and gentle voice as he held her hands.
Stella lowered her head, and nodded lightly. "Yeah…" She muttered under her breath and the corners of her lips slowly curved upwards into a small smile. "I know, I don't blame you, Blake. You did what you needed to do."
Of course, she would fall for his sweet empty promises and words that meant nothing at all. I couldn't help but to let out a laugh this time, breaking the bubble that formed around them.
Blake turned around to glare at me, his eyes were narrowed into thin slits. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I just find it funny how you told me she meant nothing to you and that she was just a friend, yet right now you are over here saying that you don't want to hurt her and all that crap, acting like you guys are some couple. Quite hilarious if you ask me," I said pointedly.
His eyes widened upon realisation and a look of fear and horror was evident on his face.
"I didn't say such a thing!" He quickly argued and turned back to look at Stella with wide eyes. "I swear I would never say that about you. You have to trust me," he pleaded, his voice filled with desperation.
I didn't know exactly why he still kept her around after admitting to me that he saw her as just a friend. Maybe he was just trying to get the best of both worlds, or maybe he was just keeping her around just in case things didn't work out with me. But whatever it was, I could clearly see that he was trying to play with both sides, and that just wouldn't work with me.
I could see the way the gears in her head were shifting as she registered the words that have just left his lips. She was thinking hard as a small frown formed between her brows.
Before she could say another word, I butted in.
"Don't trust him," I quickly said, warning her, not out of goodwill or out of my own conscience. I was simply doing it to mess with the trust they had with each other.
Knowing Stella, she would have done something extreme to get him away from me and have him all to herself. To her, it's not about Blake, it's about stealing him away from me, it's about proving that she could get him if she wanted to. And I am counting on this right now. I need it to work.
She arched her brow at me as she turned to meet my eyes. "What do you mean?"
"You might want to hear this and decide for yourself whether or not you should trust what he says."
A smirk morphed itself onto my lips as I pulled out my phone and started playing the audio recording out loud. I had secretly recorded him previously, knowing that this would be put to good use some day, and today was the day.
A loud scoff came through the speaker and it felt weird but I could hear my voice clearly.
"I'm not divorcing my husband. Did you really think I would just let you back into my life like that? After what you did? And what about Stella? Don't you want to be with her?" I questioned, my voice carrying a sharp edge to it.
"Stella?" Blake's voice echoed in our ears this time, and I watched as their eyes flashed with recognition within the next second. "I told you many times, she's just a friend. She doesn't mean anything to me. Trust me, Aurelia. I promise I will take good care of you and our baby. I will make it up to you and Stella will be out of the picture."
I stopped the recording and my heart was filled with satisfaction watching the way Stella's face fell within the next second.
"I told you not to trust him, do you believe me now?" I taunted as I stared into her eyes.
The air was filled with tense and uncomfortable silence as they looked at one another for what seemed like an eternity.
"I'm just a friend? I mean nothing to you?!" She questioned, hurling question after question at Blake who was rendered speechless like there was a lump stuck in his throat and he couldn't seem to get the words out. "Are you serious? Tell me this is some sick prank!"
I didn't stay to listen to their argument or what he would have said to further gaslight and trick the naive woman. I simply left without sparing them another glance, only hoping that my plan would work.
***
It was a typical morning in the office until I turned on my computer and was immediately greeted with a ton of notifications and the endless ringing sound that filled the room.
What the hell is going on?
My mind started buzzing with thoughts and questions swirled in my head as a small frown was now etched between my brows. My eyes quickly scanned the screen and the small words that filled the screen, until something caught my attention.
It was an email.
I clicked on it without thinking twice.
Inside, contained some of the most incriminating evidence of all the times.
The email claimed that Blake was involved in bribery with the company's clients on multiple occasions. It stated that he had accepted money, gifts and every other thing under the sun. This could potentially put him in jail and definitely ruin his career and future.
That was the last thing I expected to see.
There was a knock on the door and I looked up immediately to find myself looking into Blake's eyes. He was glaring at me with a fiery blaze in his eyes and I hardly even noticed the chaos that was going on outside of the office space.
"You did this? You sent the email accusing me of bribery so that you can fire me, didn't you?" He came in shouting, his deep voice dripping with accusation. "Isn't it so convenient how you said you wanted nothing to do with me and the next second there's an email accusing me of bribery? You are going to ruin my future and my career because of this shit!" He yelled, his loud voice reverberating within the four walls.
I looked at him with wide eyes and a puzzled expression that masked my features.
"You mean the same email I'm reading right now?" I questioned with a raised brow. "I wasn't the one who sent the email, I am just as shocked as you are."
He seemed genuinely taken aback by my response.
"You didn't?" He mumbled under his breath in disbelief. "Then who did?" He muttered more to himself as the frown on his face deepened while he looked as though he was deep in thought.
"Look" I began as we locked eyes. "I don't know who would do this to you, but you have two choices. One, you quit and I won't ever speak of it ever again. Or two, I report you to the police and let them handle it. It's your choice."
I watched as he tightened his jaw and clenched his fists tightly beside him. Soon, he was marching towards me with an angry expression that masked his features as impulse overtook his senses within a split second.
He got behind the table which separated us and stopped only a few inches away from me, his face dangerously close to mine as he leaned over to corner me.
"Don't you dare threaten me with the police," he spat the words out like they were poison in his mouth. "I'm not scared."
I looked into his eyes, unfazed by how close he was to me or how intimidating he seemed. A smirk tugged at the corners of my lips.
"Why would you be scared if you did nothing wrong?" I questioned with a smirk, my words dripping with sarcasm.
"You–!"
The word barely left Blake's lips when a familiar deep voice pierced through the air.
"Get away from her!"